Recommended

Re(Build) Red Hook's Home/Made

$10,811
of $50k goal

This is what we looked like on October 28, 2012. We have been working steadfastly to rebuild ever since.

As many of you know, Hurricane Sandy devastated the community of Red Hook, Brooklyn. She sent 15-foot waves crashing onto our shores and water flowing through the streets. By our restaurant, the flood covered the hood of our Landrover. In the middle of the storm we went out to rescue chickens that were stranded in their coop in the lot nextdoor. To do that, we were wading through chest-deep water. (Here's a good NYTimes story about it.)

Inside, we suffered a complete catastrophe. Our basement flooded. Our restaurant flooded. We lost everything. And two weeks after the storm, we are just starting to get power, heat and hot water returned. This, on top of the fact that a fire ravaged our restaurant earlier this spring. It's been a hard, hard year.

Of course, like most businesses down here, we have to completely rebuild. That means gutting our space and starting from scratch. We need new electrical. New appliances. New refrigerators. New everything. Even our employees are displaced and out of work.

The cost of this endeavor will top $50,000 -- and as most of us have found, floods aren't covered by our insurance. And there is no FEMA money for small businesses other than loans, and it's hard to take on more debt and face those payments when you don't know when you'll be able to reopen.

But we believe in Red Hook. We love Red Hook. As our friend Barry, another local business owner said, it's a "small village on the cusp of the world." And we pull together. We help each other out. We've all been working around the clock to pull our lives, businesses and community back together. We've even spent time creating a local small-business fund to assist other owners get back on their feet (restoreredhook.org).

Thanks to you and John's Plumbing we have hot water, and Pro Electric we have electricity. We had awesome volunteers over the weekend help us re Sheetrock and melt the dirty flooded dish mountain. Still an incredible amount to do to get reopened but there is a tiny crack of light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you faithful supporters!

Today Pro Electric is starting work on restoring power in home/made. It's a major undertaking and we are glad to be working with a local company to keep us all moving forward. Pro Electric also had major damage to their shop just on King St. around the corner from us. Thank all of you for your amazing generosity. We are so grateful and humbled.

Taking a break from the recovery process today, to relax, and be Thankful for our amazing community of friends, family, and neighbors!
We will rebuild, together, stronger than ever!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! Love, Leisah & Monica